South Canterbury Times, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1881.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2705, 19 November 1881, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1881.

The other day we re-published a portion of a letter written by Sir Julius Yogel to the Government in which he urged further borrowings to complete the trank lines of railway through the colony, the letter ending with the words : “ Depend upon it, if the colony will make the railways the railways will make the colony.” Sir Julius Vogel is surely mistaken. The “ trunk line” idea seems to be the one “ bee in his bonnet.” What is the good of constructing trunk lines for the mere sake of constructing them, if they offer no prospect of repaying their cost. It seems to us, looking at the geographical form of New Zealand, that a much more sensible plan would be to borrow money to make perfect harbors every here and there along its extended coast line, and short lines of railway in different directions converging towards these harbors. We have a trunk line from the Hurunui to Invercargill, and what good is it, as a trunk line ? As a whole it pays, but the profit is derived from carrying produce to the various ports through or near which it passes from the areas immediately surrounding them. Wc in Timaru, for instance, do not look on the main lino of railway, now that we have it as an indispensable means of trade communication. We are doing our best to make it less and less necessary, by the construction of harbor works, and when these are completed, or even a little further advanced, the traffic on the “ trunk line ” we possess will, so far as this district is concerned, be chiefly a passenger traffic. It will be used largely by excursionists and commercial travellers, but not otherwise. We colonists can well afford to wait for many years for “ trunk lines ” to facilitate the movements of holiday makers and sample men. What amount of traffic is to be expected on a railway line between Christchurch and Nelson, or on one between Wellington and Auckland, —the “ trunk lines ” that Sir Julius Yogel wishes to see constructed. Nothing like enough, it is certain, to pay for their construction for many a long day. Let us first open up the separate districts, and unite these when it has become better worth while.